MACH(3)MACH(3)
NAME
machbytype, machbyname - machine-independent access to
executables and programs
SYNOPSIS
#include <u.h>
#include <libc.h>
#include <mach.h>
void machbytype(int type)
int machbyname(char *name)
extern Mach *mach;
DESCRIPTION
Libmach provides an interface for accessing the executable
files and executing images of various architectures and
operating systems. The interface is machine-independent,
meaning that, for example, Mac OS X core dumps may be
inspected using an x86 Linux machine and vice versa. In its
current form, the library is mainly useful for writing
debuggers of one sort or another.
An architecture is described primarily by a Mach structure,
which contains data structures and parameters describing the
particular architecture. Most library functions assume that
the global variable mach points at the structure for the
architecture being debugged. It is set implicitly by
crackhdr (see mach-file(3)) and can be set explicitly by
calling machbyname or machbytype.
There is no operating system-specific structure akin to
mach. Typically the choice of operating system on a particu-
lar architecture affects only the executable and core dump
formats; the various file parsers deduce the operating sys-
tem from information in the binary files themselves and
adjust accordingly.
The supported architectures are 386 (Intel 32-bit x86) 386
and later) and power (IBM PowerPC, typically running Mac OS
X).
Other manual pages describe the library functions in detail.
Mach-cmd(3) describes some convenience routines for attach-
ing to processes and core files.
Mach-file(3) describes the manipulation of binary files.
MACH(3)MACH(3)Mach-map(3) describes the interface to address spaces and
register sets in executable files and executing programs.
Mach-stack(3) describes support for unwinding the stack.
Mach-swap(3) describes helper functions for accessing data
in a particular byte order.
Mach-symbol(3) describes the interface to debugging symbol
information.
SOURCE
/src/libmach
SEE ALSO
mach-file(3), mach-map(3), mach-stack(3), mach-swap(3),
mach-symbol(3)